Smart Marketing Show

In this episode of WPblab, Jason and Bridget talk about the ways you can level up your biz dev. It's great if you build websites and plugins. But how does anyone know? How do you build a referral network? How do you keep top-of-mind with your connections? Tune in to find out.

Bridget's Content Planner Worksheet

Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.

https://www.wpwatercooler.com/participant-guidelines/

WPwatercooler network is sponsored by:

• ServerPress makers of DesktopServer – https://www.serverpress.com
• Kinsta Web Hosting – https://www.kinsta.com
• VendorFuel – https://www.vendorfuel.com

If you’re interested in sponsoring the show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsor

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Jason is joined by David Margowsky from Pixel Jar. They will discuss why you should monetize your websites with ads and the best way to sell.

Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.

Wanna sponsor our shows?

WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as Kinsta over at https://www.kinsta.com

If you’re interested in sponsoring the show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on WPblab, Bridget and Jason are going to talk about the tools, tips, and tricks every WordCamp speaker needs to know. You can't always rely upon the tech at a venue -- especially if you plan to repurpose that content later.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Asking for reviews is tough. Giving one-star reviews in WordPress has become a joke. So how do you get reviews that actually help your business? In this episode, Bridget and Jason chat with Chris Badgett of LifterLMS. You won't want to miss this one.

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://serverpress.com as well as Kinsta at https://kinsta.com

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode, Jason and Bridget talk with Amy Hall on how to build up your mailing list and how to keep your email marketing audience interested.

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://serverpress.com as well as VendorFuel at https://vendorfuel.com

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

"To anybody watching, stop emailing people that don't want an email from you just so you can say your list is big." Bridget "Website for show; email for dough." AmyHall.Biz What am I selling?

Everything is a sale. No matter what, it's a sale. You're selling attention and time.

"Even if you're not exchanging money, you want their time." Amy Hall

They might not click the button on the email, but it is the system that will feed the purchase, says Amy. They are the moneymaker. They'll see you on social and then go look for the email. Then they will purchase.

How do you get people to subscribe?

It really has nothing to do with the email provider you choose. It matters more about your website and the emails you're sending.

How do you know if you're emailing too much?

You email too often when you get a bunch of unsubscribes. Everyone's tolerance is different.

How do you get people to attend a show?

As much as you can, make the topic known.

WPwatercooler is an event. By the time Amy gets the email, for example, she's already planned Thursdays. Send out the event email two weeks before, three days before, and the day before.

Bridget suggests using Mailchimp's tagging feature in an audience in order to recruit guests from 2019, 2018, etc.

Highlight some of the previous guests and how their business has progressed since they started being on the show, says Amy.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn How do you get people to subscribe to your list?

Anyone who has been on WPwatercooler is manually added to the list. Posting to Facebook isn't a good way to get subscribers, says Amy Hall.

What about open rates?

Ensure that your headline is engaging and short (30-40 characters).

"You need clear, concise, short subject lines." Amy Hall

Headlines can be sensational or the same every week "Real Estate News from John Doe." They saw it in their email every week and they came to expect it.

"There is no formula for it. You have to test it." Amy Hall

Asking for help is always a good way to get people to open. Also, don't count on people reading the preview text in their email browser of choice. Repeat that copy and the subject line in the body of the email.

How to you keep people engaged with email marketing?

What is the benefit of being on the show?

Personalize, personalize, personalize. Amy says you should sprinkle their first name throughout the body of the email.

Ensure that you offer the value propositions (reasons) why someone would want to be on the show. Talk about stats, exclusivity, and the like.

Tool or Tip of the Week

This Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel. VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!

Bridget loves Beaver Builder so much. She sent a pre-sales client her affiliate link this week. They loved that

Amy loves superhuman.com as an email client. Worth every dollar.

Jason recommends Coursera for certifications.

Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?

We'd love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?

Tell us in the comments below.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Jason talks with Christiana Mohr and Sé Reed on how they are promoting their upcoming WordCamp. 

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://serverpress.com as well as Kinsta at https://kinsta.com

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsors

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Jason and Bridget take a small break in their format to chat about developments this week in the WordPress ecosystem. How will these changes affect how plug-in businesses and freelancers market if at all? Tune in.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as Kinsta.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

Jeff Chandler Leaves WPTavern

Bridget thinks his editorial voice will be sorely missed.

Journalism tries to get both sides whereas editorial content should have opinion.

Jason was more intrigued by the use of service accounts for connected services on multi user websites.

Both Bridget and Jason wonder who will now provide timely, non-biased WordPress news. “Hot takes on WPwatercooler.com” is still valid news. And, honestly, most of us who comment on WordPress are also Inside Baseball. So, we’re commenting with our own source material.

Thanks, Jeff for being awesome for ten years!

Bridget’s Trip to Montréal

Bridget loved WordCamp Montréal. It was extra special because she got to see Breann McDede’s first presentation.

Also, it was really neat to see how the WordPress community in Montréal embraces bilingualism. As Michel Bluma says, “#BonjourHi.”

I decided to sit in Q&A part of a presentation in French. It's funny to hear words I know: "A-C-F," "Gutenberg," "Custom Post Types."

Can't get much more Montreal than that. #BonjourHi

PHP 7.5 — P++ Ending Backwards Compatibility

From PHP Storm.

“P++ – The controversy and accusations in PHP Internals over the removal of short tags explicit call-site send-by-ref syntax, and other discussions eventually resulted in an unexpected proposal from Zeev Suraski – create a new PHP dialect. The working name P++ is not accidental here, as Zeev suggests creating a “sister” language, like C++ for C. PHP and P++ are supposed to be developed side by side within a single runtime. In the new P++ it will be possible to implement a lot of revolutionary improvements, to deprecate legacy, and clear things up without thinking about backward compatibility. Since the language would have new branding, it would not have this bad reputation. A “classic” PHP would get all the performance and other non-syntax features but maintain backward compatibility.” Roman Pronskiy

How does this affect WordPress?

WordPress 5.0 created an unintentional fork, Bridget says, because plugin and theme developers have three choices:

1. Support 5.0
2. Support 4.9.x
3. Support Both

All of those choices are business resource decisions.

Some people say PHP’s decision to possibly abandon backward compatibility won’t affect WordPress. (Click the heading for the PHP storm article.)

“1) Shortcodes ≠ short tags 2) PHP 7.4 is already in beta and will be released later this year 3) This proposal is not suggesting abandoning the main binary. It’s more like a different interpretation mode that would be included with PHP. Everything could still work the same” William Earnhardt Caldera Joins Ninja Forms

“That is one partnership that I feel warm in my soul about,” Bridget says. Caldera will continue to be developer-focused and Ninja Forms will stay customer-facing.

This isn’t a case where a company is being sold for parts like a WordPress junkyard.

“Josh Pollock, who co-founded CalderaWP in 2015 with Christie Chirinos, will be joining Saturday Drive as VP of Engineer Experience, along with three other employees from the company, bringing Saturday Drive’s total crew number to 25. Chirinos began working as a product manager at Liquid Webearlier this year.” Sarah Gooding Automattic Buys Tumblr

Bridget thinks Automattic is buying users so they can sell out. She is hoping after the sale of Automattic, Matt Mullenweg will focus on the WordPress Project. This eliminates the c. Maybe Automattic needed the carried loss for their taxes. But she isn’t a tax lawyer and doesn’t play one on TV.

“There’s a way to make sure [the WordPress.com] userbase goes up.” Jason Tucker How about the articles saying “WordPress Owner?“

This was a bit controversial. And it’s a real issue with who owns the trademark versus who owns the software.

Will Automattic’s Tumblr Still Allow Porn?

What about the “adult content” on WordPress? Also, what is porn? Did the LBGTQ community need this space from a psychological standpoint? WordPress is a culture of inclusion. This might be super good.

“When you’re talking about sexuality, some people consider that porn.” Bridget Willard Will Gutenberg end up on Tumblr?

According to my friend “Ben” (whose name is actually Daniel Olsen) who spoke about JAM Stack at WCMTL, Gutenberg is a layer that you can put on any CMS.

“Gutenberg on Tumblr would kill Medium. So this is like a win-win-win for Automattic.” Bridget Willard Short Codes and Block Editors

Dealing with short codes in a block editor world when using a page builder.

Ben Meredith with Better Click to Tweet talked about some of his frustrations on Twitter.

Proposal to Auto Update Old WP Versions to 4.7

“Apply security updates to the latest 6 versions, and auto-update insecure sites to the oldest secure version.” Ian Dunn

Proposal: Auto-Update Old Versions to 4.7
WordPress - Live Sites 4.6 to 3.7 Complied by Bridget Willard 8/10/19

Update since airing:

Bridget attended the Core chat about this subject that was held 19 Aug 19. She compiled data from BuiltWith.com to show that over two million sites would be affected or about 8% of WordPress sites.

As an aside, WPBuffs responded to Bridget’s Instagram Post offering 10% of their services.

Tool or Tip of the Week

This Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Kinsta. If you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. Kinsta.com

This week Bridget and Jason are both thinking about task management and people management.

Jason likes cloze.com for relationship management.

Bridget’s into airtable.com as way to track business development communication.

Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?

We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?

Tell us in the comments below.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Bridget and Jason riff on marketing with influencers, affiliate links, and guest bloggers.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as VendorFuel.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

Inspiration for This Week’s Episode

Jason totally loves Buffer’s “Science of Social Media” podcast. He recommends this episode in particular.

“You can’t talk about social media without talking about social science.” Bridget Willard
What is an influencer?

There is always someone that everyone looks to whether it’s in a WordPress Meetup or the gorillas in the mountains. Every social group has an influencer. Dynamics change as the groups change and that’s why your marketing budget can be spent more effectively with micro-influencers.

Micro-influencers, quotes Jason from Buffer’s episode, those with smaller numbers, have a 8.8% engagement rate. They have quality followers and they have the time to engage. This is the reason why so many WordPress agencies use affiliate marketing.

“Influencer marketing is just referral marketing.” Bridget Willard
Make Your Own Influencers

The best way to engage in influencer marketing is to make your own influencers. We all have a sphere of influence of about twelve people. You have super fans who are always sharing your product.

Reward and dopamine are totally connected. After you’ve continually trained them by recognizing or rewarding them, they will engage in this behavior more often. The dopamine rush can come before the reward.

“Reward and recognize those people who are taking the time to talk about your brand. Those are your influencers.” Bridget Willard
Influencer Marketing in WordPress

Your influencers should resonate with your brand and vice versa. The best practice should be to find someone in your target market. Protect your brand. Ensure that person resonates with your core values, in their whole life, not just online.

This applies to sponsoring blog posts, speakers at WordCamps, or even volunteers for Make WordPress.

“Make sure they are good stewards of your product.” Jason Tucker

Use micro-influencers with your content marketing. Instead of paying $2000 for one blog post, pay 20 people $100. You get 20 articles instead of one and that’s almost one every week for six months. Hire your super fans to write guest blog posts on your site. They get the byline, $100, and are happy. You get content to help your SEO efforts. It’s a win-win-win.

How do you find your influencers?

Find them with how they communicate with you. Are they tweeting about your brand a lot? They may come up to your booth at a WordCamp or talk to you after you speak.

Ask them about how they use your product. Allow the conversation to be naturally unfold. Then ask if they would like to participate.

“That’s the best person to talk about that subject matter anyhow.” Jason Tucker
What shouldn’t you do?

Avoid Cognitive Dissonance.

You shouldn’t go outside of your market domain. Bridget shouldn’t be an influencer for solar panels or HVAC companies, for example. She’s influential in other areas, but not in construction. Chris Lema is a cigar influencer, but not in cannabis.

You shouldn’t go after people who just have big numbers. A lot of their followers could be bought. Are their followers your potential customers?

Make sure there is no conflict of interest. You don’t want the influencer to degrade your brand.

You shouldn’t pay for ghost written reviews. That is disingenuous at best and unethical not to mention against FTC rules.

Isn’t it common knowledge that bloggers are paid to tout products or that if you click a link on a blogger’s site to buy a product, the blogger will get a commission?

No. Some bloggers who mention products in their posts have no connection to the marketers of those products – they don’t receive anything for their reviews or get a commission. They simply recommend those products to their readers because they believe in them.

Moreover, the financial arrangements between some bloggers and advertisers may be apparent to industry insiders, but not to everyone else who reads a particular blog. Under the law, an act or practice is deceptive if it misleads “a significant minority” of consumers. Even if some readers are aware of these deals, many readers aren’t. That’s why disclosure is important. FTC

A Note on Affiliate Links

“If you’re the one spending hours and hours looking for a product, you can use a link.” Jason Tucker

Tool or Tip of the Week

This Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel. VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!

Bridget likes Twine. It’s a neat app that helps you save money with a custom plan.

Jason recommends Shift to keep all of your notifications (Gmail, et al) in one dashboard.

Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?

We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?

Tell us in the comments below.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Jason and Bridget are joined by popular podcast host Jason Resnick from Live in the Feast. Jason built his business in WordPress services and he has been talking a ton right now about word-of-mouth marketing by standing out in the crowd including niching down in the client space you serve.

Thank you to our sponsors!

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as VendorFuel.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

No matter what you do, it has to feel natural to you. This is the main point of this episode. Here are some good ideas but it’s not a rule. 

How do you not stand out?

Definitely don’t be negative. Avoid client shaming online.

“They’re paying you to have the expertise and knowledge.” Jason Resnick

Don’t go dark after your client accepts your contract and pays them.

“Reach out and say ‘hey I’m excited to be working with you, here’s what you can expect over the next few days.” Jason Resnick

Don’t be inauthentic or be rude under the guise of authenticity. Don’t try to copy what works for Gary Vaynerchuck, Chris Lema, Ellen DeGeneres, Simon Sinek. Be you. Their methods work for them because it’s their truth.

Stand Out by Providing an Experience

Using empathy for your customer, not relying upon jargon, makes you a good “technical liason” as Jason Resnick (Rezzz) says. That skillset allowed him to stand out and provide a good experience for them.

“Create Memorable Moments.” Jason Resnick

Rezzz recommends Jay Baer’s book Talk Triggers. He also talks about Laura Elizabethwho helps gather content from her clients by giving them gift cards to a local cafe. It’s on Season 1 Episode 7 of Live in the Feast if you want to listen. These micro moments and celebrations smooth out bumpy spots in the project journey that are inevitable.

Stand Out by Being Human

Rezzz says we should be human with our clients. Showing your clients that you pay attention to their interests (like buying them tickets for a minor league baseball game with their son who loves baseball).

Stand Out by Being Helpful

Answer questions on Twitter, LinkedIn, or wherever. There is an attitude that people should just search for their answers on Google. But the uneducated will get so many choices. You’ll get too much information.

Stand Out with Your Online Presence

Your website should look good and represent you well, so that when people talk about you that word-of-mouth referral doesn’t die at your URL. Rezzz’ Services Page is an excellent example of clear pricing and communication to the client.

Stand Out by Hosting a Podcast

Rezzz has six seasons of Live in the Feast. He decided to create seasons about a business topic. It takes a bit more planning to create the season’s story arch. The seasons create binge-able and helpful content. Since Rezzz isn’t a long-form writer, much like our friend Carl Alexander, he decided a podcast was the right solution.

Tool or Tip of the Week

This Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel. VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!

• Bridget likes Tiny Habits — the book by Jonathan Wold.
• Jason Resnick (Rezzz) likes Bonjoro — you can send personalized videos to your clients and friends.
• Jason is in on Shortcuts App (which will be part of iOS13) and the Reddit Subthread.

Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?

We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?

Tell us in the comments below.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Cory Miller for a discussion on creation versus identity.

As product creators, how do you separate your identity from your product? Why does it matter? When you sell your product, who are you? With all of the acquisitions that are happening now, this is an important factor in the WordPress ecosystem both financially and mentally

Thank you to our sponsor!

The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as PeepSo.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40 minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.

Product Acquisitions in WordPress

Pantheon recently bought Staging Pilot. Of course we know about Liquid Web buying iThemes and Genesis being bought by WPEngine. So, how does this affect product creators?

The hardest thing, though, was leaving the team, not the product. He’ll always be attached to the brand, but it’s really about the people.

“Some of my best friends in life were on [the iThemes] team.” Cory Miller

If it works for you, go for venture capital. But have some balance with your sweat and actual equity. It’s a big deal to be responsible for someone else’s paycheck.

“Always use somebody else’s money.” Cory Miller
How do you separate yourself from your creation?

Bridget set up the context of this discussion with a quote from the Game of Thrones co-writer.

“…I was very attached to the words I wrote, because I wrote them. It’s like a part of me. If I don’t like these, I don’t like me.” D.B. Weiss, Creative Brain on Netflix

Cory Miller says his startup was like a baby and for the first few years there were a lot of diaper changes. He brought it through infancy to kindergarten. He recognizes that it’s been a while since he felt those original growing pains.

“Up until now, I never saw myself as a creator… but Gosh the parallels are compelling.” Cory Miller “When you build something whether it’s with your hands or your blood, sweat equity, …you do feel so woven into that.” Cory Miller
Build the life and the work you want.

The main question you, as a creator, need to ask yourself is this: how painful is it to do everything yourself? Or — how much joy do you have working alone. You can work alone. Build that life. But if you want to build a company, then you have to delegate and/or outsource.

We should not feel guilty for outsourcing tasks to others whether it’s housekeeping, development, marketing, or support.

How do you stop being a Micromanaging Creator?

Cory talks about Assembly Line leadership to get productivity. Throwing more people at problem isn’t more effective. If you care about people, they’ll care about you.

“When it comes to leadership, it’s one simple skill: care.” Cory Miller

In the creator mindset, it’s very hard to delegate, Cory says, because they are craftspeople at heart. And that is a tough situation when it comes to delegation.

Jason reminds us that having a branding guide is a good way to communicate the persona to others the way that Jen Miller and I do for our blogging and social media clients. They’re trusting us to represent them. The brand should always come first in a company — even over its creator. This allows people to be cross-trained, even in small companies, so the employees can go on vacation.

It needs to be psychologically safe in your organization for team members to make decisions with the values in mind. You need to be okay with that. (Read Chapter 3 on Teams from this book. It’s worth it.)

“Do they feel safe to make a decision?” Cory Miller

Leaving a Team to A New Duck

How do you feel about handing over a team to a new duck to imprint upon? For Cory, he trusted Matt entirely. He knew his team would play their own songs. He is so proud that they can operate without him.

• Be a leader through crisis and change.
• Some people may choose to not continue.
• Communicate the positives of the change.
• Value the stories that you tell.

Being a healthy communicator is so important. Tell people what’s going on.

“In the absence of communication, people will make crap up.” Cory Miller
Advice to Growing WordPress Products

It is hard to go out on your own and start something new. It’s a tough struggle. Cory has a heart for entrepreneurs but realizes he’s far from the beginning.

• Build a team that can succeed without you.
• Be aware when your product has run its course.
• Share the upward mobility options to the team.
• Communicate your intention openly.
• Values are communicated in stories.
• Empower team members to make decisions.
• Document your culture in a branding book.
• Document your systems and processes.

“Curiosity, clean communication, circling back, and rumbling become part of the culture. Just like people, when organizations own their stories and take responsibility for their actions, they get to write the endings. When they deny their stories, people on the outside, like the media, take over the story’s authorship to write new narratives that could come to define the organization.” Brené Brown, Rising Strong 
Tool or Tip of the Week

This week’s Tool or Tip of the Week is brought to you by PeepSo. PeepSo is a super-light, free, social network plugin for WordPress that allows you to quickly and effortlessly add a social network or an online community right inside your WordPress site. Your Community. Your Way. Find out more at at PeepSo.com

• Bridget recommends WP Feedback which is an amazing tool for QAing a website and/or getting client feedback.
• Jason doesn’t have a window in his office – such a bummer to be in the basement — but he also has several monitors. So he loves Multi Monitor Wallpaper that allows him to have one cohesive image.
• Cory recommends Transitions:Making Sense Of Life’s Changes. He leaned on this quite a bit in the last few years.

Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?

We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?

Tell us in the comments below.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.